Projection in Propaganda

April 12, 2016

The success of propaganda depends on the adept application of various psychological principles. In this post the psychology of projection is first analyzed in its familiar expression when shaping the views of others within the arena of interpersonal relationships. Later the operation of projection is understood in the lesser known area of opinion shaping within the arena of systematic propaganda efforts.

Psychological Projection is defined as a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against their own unpleasant impulses by denying their existence while attributing them to others. For example, a person who is habitually rude may constantly accuse other people of being rude; or a person who is habitually selfish may frequently accuse other people of being selfish. It can take the form of blame shifting. According to some research, the projection of one’s negative qualities onto others is a common process in everyday life.[1]

In terms of propaganda where denouncing another country or people is common, one can see the actions of a nation’s people defend themselves against their own unpleasant tendencies by denying their existence on a national scale then attributing them to another nation or country. For example, a nation with people who have a propensity for being mindlessly influenced by their media may continually accuse another nation or country of being brainwashed; or a nation where aggression is knit into the fabric of national thought and media may frequently accuse another nation or country of being aggressive. In these cases, macro scale blame shifting on the national level may influence the posture of national defense.

Theoretical examples

Projection tends to come to the fore in normal people at times of crisis, personal or political[2] but is more commonly found in the neurotic or psychotic [3] in personalities functioning at a primitive level as in narcissistic personality disorder or borderline personality disorder.[4]

Carl Gustave Jung considered that the unacceptable parts of the personality represented by the Shadow archetype were particularly likely to give rise to projection, both small-scale and on a national/international basis.[5] Marie-Louise Von Franz extended her view of projection, stating that “wherever known reality stops, where we touch the unknown, there we project an archetypal image”.[6]

In the foregoing statement by Carl Jung, a highly relevant aid for understanding how society members compulsive critical fault finding go into forming projections regarding other nations of the world. As stated above, such people can be normal but more frequently function on a primitive level with disorders like neurosis or psychosis. When such social members form a social majority, the neuroses becomes the ethos of a disturbed nation finding frequent expression in media’s efforts to dispense propaganda defaming countries and leaders for which they have no personal knowledge.

Practical examples

Large scale social psychosis can be seen when a people of a nation begin believing views of their media which have no basis in reality. In recent times the content of a disturbed society's media exposed the extent to which their psychosis has affected reporting of bizarre stories. Stories which allege another nation’s leader of ordering a family member to be fed to dogs;[9] this being projection onto another nations government by psychologically unstable members of a society suffering with corruption in their homes and government.[10]

Victim blaming:

The victim of someone else’s accident or bad luck may be offered criticism, the theory being that the victim may be at fault for having attracted the other person’s hostility offered criticism, the theory being that the victim may be at fault for having attracted the other person’s hostility.[7]

For example, In recent history, The Nicaragua White Paper implicate US capitalist collusion through the purchase of productive land from Nicaraguan farmers, then allowed them to work that land. Initially the farmers thought they were profiting greatly by getting money for land they lived on and continue to farm; that was until profit making efforts by US capitalist moved them to employ mechanized farming methods, and in turn, expelled local farmers from the land they sold, leaving them totally disenfranchised. Being angered by deception, Nicaraguan farmers took up arms. This resulted in the US blaming the farmers by calling the action an act of communist aggression which found US government support. US forces responded by crushing the alleged communist opposition. Why? Because the US made it look like the Nicaraguan government was to blame for alleged communist aggression.

Islamic countries have been made to appear at fault because they have drawn the wrath of the US military presence for having a society that seems to treat women unfairly and practices violence when trying to protect their interests. To amplify blaming Muslim victims, the US began financing powerful opposition factions within the Islamic populace. Through such subversive financial support, the US provides the power and resources by which to magnify the apparent blame of Islamic extremists, predictably attracting US military hostilities.

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Bullying:

A bully may project his/her own feelings of vulnerability onto the target(s) of the bullying activity. Despite the fact that a bully’s typically denigrating activities are aimed at the bully’s targets, the true source of such negativity is almost always found in the bully’s own sense of personal insecurity and/or vulnerability.[8] Such aggressive projections of displace negative emotions can occur anywhere from the micro-level of interpersonal relationships, all the way up through to the macro-level of international politics, or even international armed conflict.[5]

From a macro perspective, when dealing with the concept of “Bullying” it’s tough not to sound rhetorical. Need I ask what society or country presents itself as a bully before the world?

Bullies, tyrants and cowards have been wreaking havoc on the helpless ... a potential superpower with a third of the world's population and an economy that may ...

Propaganda's Subversive Niche (To Be Explored)

Propaganda most influential foundation was seen when German Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda headed by Joseph Goebbels developed aims to ensure that the Nazi message was successfully communicated through art, music, theater, films, books, radio, educational materials, and the press.

German children read the Nazi propaganda book titled DER GIFTPILZ ( "The Poisonous Mushroom"). The girl on the left holds a companion volume, the translated title of which is "Trust No Fox." Germany, ca. 1938.

May 1, 2005 - We can push the world around, but where ever we are weak, or not paying ... So why would anyone think the U.S. is an international bully?

Subversive Niche (To Be Explored)

Propaganda most influential foundation was seen when Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda headed by Joseph Goebbels. The Ministry's aim was to ensure that the Nazi message was successfully communicated through art, music, theater, films, books, radio, educational materials, and the press.

German children read the Nazi propaganda book titled DER GIFTPILZ ( "The Poisonous Mushroom"). The girl on the left holds a companion volume, the translated title of which is "Trust No Fox." Germany, ca. 1938.